Chapter 6

Dinner was lovely - simple fare and good company. The conversation left a bit to be desired, though.

"I think we should tell Dumbledore about the body and possibly the snake as well." Remus told the others.

"What? Why?" Harry asked startled.

"Well, for one thing, we might find out who the body was - with the help of the Order." Remus said.

"We know he was a Death Eater. We know he was with Nagini and hunting a nundu - what else do we need to know?" Harry asked. "Now that you mention it... I do have some questions."

Remus nodded for him to continue.

"What is the Order of the Phoenix? What do they do?" Harry asked. "What do they want?"

Sirius and Remus looked conflicted but then Remus answered. "The Order of the Phoenix was formed by Albus Dumbledore during the first wizarding war with Voldemort. We are simply a group of people who fight Voldemort because he's a psychopath who kills people in cold blood."

"He kills muggles in cold blood - to be specific." Sirius frowned at his lover. "Muggleborn and halfblood witches and wizards are usually given a choice to join his cause or die...if he notices them at all."

"Purebloods either join him willingly or are coerced in some way. Or they join the order like the Weasleys." Remus took up the topic. "You see, Harry, Voldemort wants to preserve wizarding traditions and keep the separation of wizarding culture from muggles but he kills those who disagree with him."

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Ok. It's bad that he kills people but why is it bad to want muggle culture to be kept separate from wizarding culture?"

The two older men stared at him.

"Wizarding culture is incredibly outdated when compared with muggle versions of the same design." Remus said in confusion.

"That's true for many things, but a lot of the so-called outdated things are better for the environment as well as our civilization as a whole." Harry explained. "Cars and motorcycles are great ways for muggles to get around but they give off carbon monoxide and that eats away at the ozone layer which protects all beings on Earth from the harmful rays of the sun. They wish they could travel from one point to another instantly but they don't know magic exists and wouldn't be able to use it if they did. There's good and bad in everything, Remus."

"Owls are a reliable way to send letters between magical people and the muggles have their post service but those are slow." Dudley chimed in. "The newest thing in muggle communication is email and cell phones but there's a downside with them too because they rely on electronics and networks."

"Muggles have television and movies while wizards have pictures that move but you can't hear the subjects." Harry pointed out. "Portraits are close to that but they're not able to be fictional and many muggles would love to have a talking portrait of their loved ones after they've moved on but I've heard stories of talking portraits that are horrible to have hanging around."

"Like my dear mother..." Sirius grumbled.

Remus sighed. He could see what Harry was saying but still thought the idea was too conservative for the era in which they lived.

"Some aspects of wizarding culture are far ahead of muggles. Like recognition of same sex marriage and allowing them to adopt children." Harry pointed out.

"Those things depend entirely on the existence of the fertility spell, Harry. If not for that, the wizarding world would be just as against same sex couples." Remus countered. "Before a spell-crafter by the name of Sable Sands created the spell that transfigures an egg into its male equivalent and vice versa all the LGBTQ couples had to hide. They had to marry the opposite sex to keep procreating and act straight. If you were lucky you might find someone who had a tolerance for your preference and didn't mind you having a lover on the side but it wasn't the norm."

"The transgender people also had to craft the potion that gives them their true form." Sirius pointed out. "There was massive controversy over it."

"Muggles have hormone treatments that do the same thing but it takes time and you can never stop the treatments." Dudley told them. "It's very controversial as well."

"The transgender community actually had an easier time getting their rights because they lived as they felt until a certain age when they - not their parent or guardian - made the choice of whether to take the sex change potion." Remus commented.

"What age?" Harry wanted to know.

"Eleven." Remus told him. "Due to the nature of their condition, it was deemed that the age they are trusted to be away from home for the school year is also old enough to judge whether they wish to remain their original gender or switch."

"They're given plenty of information and counseling throughout the process of deciding. " Sirius chimed in. "The families of the potential transgender kids are investigated to be sure they are safe during the holidays."

Harry frowned. "Sounds like they get more consideration than the muggleborn kids or halfblood kids raised in the muggle world."

Harry met the gaze of each of his companions and he could see they were thinking about his experience. That sounded like something that needed to change if he had anything to say about it. "I'm going to bed. Tomorrow we need to see where Ron and his family stand. You know where I do. Remus, I don't trust Dumbledore or his Order - beyond you two. Please respect my wishes?" He waited for a nod from his father's old friend before leaving the room.

When he arrived at his bedroom, Harry was met by Ziva. "Master Harry, sir. Ziva has mended the muggle clothing you had with you. Ziva thought perhaps they was meant to be sleepytime clothes since they wasn't the right size."

Harry sighed. "You did well, Ziva. Please wake us at nine."

The elf smiled at his praise and left.

"Hedwig, please, won't you deliver that letter for Dudley?" Harry asked softly as he approached her perch. "By the time you get back, I'll have one for Ron and you can socialize with Pigwidgeon for a while."

Hedwig turned her head around almost all the way and then back again. Harry stroked her chest until she ruffled her feathers and gave in, plucking the letter from where it sat on Harry's desk and flying out the balcony doors which still stood open. Reminded of Nagini's trickery, Harry stalked over to the doors and closed them only to realize Hedwig wouldn't be able to get back in by herself. Sighing he opened a window that seemed conveniently placed for owl entry since it was rather high up on the wall.

It was getting late, so he quickly penned a warning to his redheaded friend that he was planning to drop by tomorrow afternoon and put it on his desk where Dudley's letter had stood.

That finished, Harry got dressed in the sleep shirt that was three sizes too big and fit like a dress. "At least its not ripped anymore." He said to himself. "I probably should've picked out new pajamas when I got the rest of my wardrobe."

He got into the bed and pulled the light summer blanket over himself just as Hedwig returned. She landed on her perch and took a treat as well as a drink of water before grabbing Harry's letter and taking off again. She seemed to pay no attention as Harry called after her an appreciative 'thanks, girl'.

It felt strange sleeping in this large sleigh bed instead of the twin bed at the Dursley house or the curtained four poster at Hogwarts so he tossed and turned a bit before finally calming down enough to sleep.

The next morning dawned early and Harry wasn't prepared for the wakeup call Ziva gave him.

Harry awoke to the drapes being drawn open and sunshine overwhelming his senses. He threw the covers over his head and became shocked when they disappeared. He sat up and stared at the little elf. "Ziva? What's going on?"

She looked at him with confusion. "Ziva wake you at nine, Master Harry. Did Ziva do wrong?"

Harry sighed and fell back into the pillows with a tired chuckle. "In the future, I'd prefer a slightly less startling wakeup."

Ziva giggled. "Ziva is being sorry, Master Harry. I is assuming that you took after Master James but in this aspect you is being like Mistress Lily."

Harry grinned as he relaxed a bit more. "My dad was difficult in the mornings?"

"Ziva had to dump cold water on him the morning of his wedding to Lily." Sirius said from the hallway, having heard Harry's alarmed voice.

"Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes, Master Harry." Ziva giggled again before popping out.

"I'll get dressed, Padfoot. Can you tell Dudley Hedwig delivered his letter to Aunt Petunia? And about breakfast?" Harry asked as he stood up.

Sirius nodded and closed the door behind him.

Harry smiled and shook his head, his hair flopping every which way. "Looks like I need a haircut too." He muttered as he rolled out of bed and stretched before looking in the mirror. Resolving to ask Molly Weasley to do the honors, he pulled on the clothes he'd worn the day before and hurried to meet the others. When he arrived, he didn't see Remus so he asked about him.

"He went to muggle London for a few things and said he'll be pickin' up our clothes on the way back." Dudley told him between bites of food.

"Great. Thanks, Dudley." Harry nodded bemusedly. "Siri?"

Sirius looked at him with curiosity. "What can I help you with, cub?"

"Lots." Harry sighed. "There's so much I don't know about the wizarding world and how it works."

"Why don't you hire a tutor?" Sirius asked. "Or, I suppose I can try and answer any questions you might have. Remus would probably also be able to help."

"Great idea." Harry grinned. "Ok, so..."

"Where do you want to start?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged and began to list things he'd always wondered about. "I don't know. Why do muggleborn kids get thrown into the deep end rather than properly taught the basics in first year? Why do pureblood kids not learn about muggles and muggleborn kids before they're thrown together in first year? Why do we celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts when the Christians wanted to kill witches in the dark ages?"

Sirius stared at his godson.

"What are the wizarding traditions Voldemort wants to protect? What's the real difference between light and dark magic?" Harry continued in a milder tone seeing that Sirius was a bit shocked. "Why are there still lordships in this day and age? What am I supposed to do as an Earl?"

"That's..." Dudley was wide eyed. "That's a lot of questions, Harry."

"All things we're not taught at Hogwarts, Dud." Harry said grimly before correcting himself. "Dudley - sorry ... And there's more where they came from."

Sirius took a deep breath and brought his hands up to scrub his face. "I can honestly say that I've never really thought about the first three things you asked, Harry, but I can help with the second set of questions. Voldemort wants to bring back the pagan religion. Samhain in place of Halloween. Yule instead of Christmas. That sort of thing. There are rituals that are performed on certain dates of the year that remind us of the old ways and refresh the magic in the world. Some of them harness light magic but a few use the dark. The difference between them is a combination of the power and intention behind the spell. There are even some pagan rituals that try to tap into wild magic like the elements."

"Elemental magic..." Harry nodded slowly as he processed this. He would need to visit the library...both here and at Hogwarts. "The lordships and my responsibilities?" He asked quietly.

"Well, kiddo, I'm not really sure why but I'm guessing that it's just one of the traditions that we've kept going." Sirius smiled at him. "One of those old fashioned things that doesn't serve much purpose these days except to separate classes. There aren't many responsibilities for us lords anymore. It's really just a social status in the muggle world but you'll have to vote in the wizengamut and participate in a certain number of trials as well as a few procedural sessions. You'll receive a letter from the Queen, once it's official, and likely a visit from her solicitor so you should consult with yours."

Harry sighed and nodded. He really should stop being surprised that he had things that most of his friends didn't. He hadn't even finished breakfast and yet he felt like going back to bed.

"You wouldn't know who my solicitor is would you?" Harry asked, resignation palpable in his voice.

Sirius grinned sympathetically. "The firm that handles my legal affairs happens to be the same one that tends to yours. I've already contacted them. Someone will owl you in the next few days."

Relief flowed through Harry. "Thanks."

"You know, maybe if you ask the elder Weasleys some of your questions they'll know the answers." Sirius suggested. "They were parents before I started my first year of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded absently considering the idea. "I think I'll ask Mrs. Weasley. Maybe while she trims my hair."

"Let me know if you want to talk again. I can tell you a lot about your parents and some things about your grandparents. Unfortunately I wasn't around much as an adult before...well...you know." Sirius quickly finished his meal and left the table.

"Before what?" Dudley asked when he saw Harry's sad expression as he watched the older man go.

"He was in Azkaban." Harry said solemnly looking down at his food. "He wasn't given a fair trial and they sent him to prison for twelve years."

"Blimey...Hey! Didn't the goblin say you have the power to call a trial?" Dudley asked suddenly.

"Korlag?" Harry thought back and nodded. "I think so."

"You can get Sirius a fair shake then and he'd be free." Dudley went on. "His name would be cleared!"

Harry's thoughts raced. He called Ziva asking for parchment and began writing a list. "I'll have to talk to the solicitor. Ask about procedure and such."

Dudley just nodded and picked at the last bit of food on his plate. "Hey, Harry? How am I gonna get replies from my mum?"

Harry considered this. "I can have my solicitor set up a post box, I guess. Oh, wait. That's no good. It can be traced."

Dudley shook his head. "It could be watched too. Like staked out. The cop shows I used to watch said that baddies do it too."

"Yeah." Harry commented. "We don't want Voldemort or Dumbledore to find us before we're ready after all. Hmmm...well, you said you wanted a pet. How about an owl?"

"I was leaning more toward a dog, actually. Beagles are cute or maybe a bulldog." Dudley shrugged. "What about a cellphone?"

Harry shook his head as they stood up and moved into the hallway. "Muggle technology doesn't work properly in a magical environment. I guess we'll have to ask Remus or Sirius."

"Did I hear my name?" Remus asked as he came up from behind them.

Harry explained the situation. "Do you know a way for Dudley and his mother to keep in touch without using Hedwig? My aunt and uncle hated her and kept her locked up in her cage for ages at a time. Now that we're free of them, I don't want to make her go back."

"We'll come up with something, pup. If I remember correctly, Sirius and your dad had something..." Remus hummed thoughtfully. "I'll look into it. For now, here's your wardrobes. Your names are on the packages."

Harry grinned at the older man. "Great! Thanks!"

Dudley echoed his comments and the two teens went off to put their things away.

Harry changed his clothes and let Ziva put everything else where it belonged. When he emerged he went in search of his godfather.

He knocked on Sirius' door and opened it when he heard the older man call out. "Hi. Has Remus talked... oh. Hi."

"Hi." Remus nodded to the younger man.

"Hi." Sirius smirked and held a wrapped package out to him. "So this was supposed to be your birthday gift but Moony says you need something to help Dudley keep in touch with his mother..."

Harry's expression darkened. "I'm not going to randomly give something of yours to a person who hasn't been remotely nice to me for as long as she's known me, Siri. What is it?"

"Open it and see." Sirius rolled his eyes.

Harry sat on the floor and unwrapped the package to find two hand mirrors. "Did you miss that I'm a boy or am I going to get makeup next?"

Both of his companions laughed.

"Since you don't want to give it to Petunia, I'll take one back." Sirius said decisively holding out a hand. "Now, look in the mirror and say my name."

Harry frowned but followed instructions. "Sirius."

The man in question smirked and wondered how long it would take Harry to figure out what was going on. "Again."

Harry huffed. "Sirius Black?" This time, Harry heard an echo. "Wait..."

Sirius nodded once. "Good. You understand. If you say my full name or my animagus name it sends a magical signal to my mirror and we can talk."

Harry did understand. This was an option he'd never thought of. This was a darn good idea and it inspired a new possibility for his cousin and aunt. "Can we do this with another set of mirrors? Or maybe some other type of object?"

"Well sure. It's just a Protean Charm." Remus shrugged.

"Great!" Harry rushed to the door and yelled for his cousin who poked his head out into the hallway. "We've had an idea for you to talk to your mum. Come here."

As soon as Harry explained the idea, Dudley sighed and shook his head. "She won't like it. The charm makes it a magical object. She'll hate it."

Harry made a harumph noise. "Then it's a perfect punishment if you ask me. In order to contact someone she loves, she'll have to use something she absolutely hates - magic."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other silently.

Harry noticed and glared at them. "What? It's not like it'll hurt her."

"Dad might not like it either." Dudley mumbled.

"Tell her to hide it." Harry shrugged. "Whatever it ends up being."

"What object should we use?" Remus asked quietly, still unsettled by Harry's response. "Dudley, is there something she uses often that your dad wouldn't think twice if he saw her with something similar? Mirrors involve talking which would be impossible to hide or disguise."

"Would a book work?" Dudley asked. "She writes in a journal."

"That's great, and we can also make it so the covers change color when something new is written." Sirius suggested.

"Can it be ready by the end of next month?" Dudley asked suddenly excited. "Mum's birthday is the twenty-seventh."

Harry only nodded before moving on to tell Sirius and Remus that they needed to visit the Burrow as soon as possible to figure out if their opinions laid along the same lines as Harry's own.

"Will Dudley be joining us?" Sirius asked.

"You can come along if you want, Dudley." Harry gave his cousin an encouraging smirk. "Mrs. Weasley usually has tea ready within a few minutes of a guest's arrival. She makes delicious biscuits."

Dudley's cheeks went pink but he nodded. "I'll come. Thanks."

"Good. It'll give me a chance to reintroduce you to them as my squib cousin instead of the muggle git who bullies me all the time." Harry chuckled and suggested they get a move on. "We're going to use the floo so this is how it works..." Harry motioned for one of the others to go first and Remus stepped forward with a bemused smile on his face to follow Harry's instructions as he performed them. Sirius went next and then Harry watched Dudley go through before following.

When he tumbled out into Ron's kitchen he saw Molly and Ginny at the table with Remus and Sirius but Dudley was missing.

"Harry James Potter!" Molly's lips pursed as she worked herself up into a snit.

"Mrs. Weas..." Harry began until he saw her expression change to hurt. "Molly. I can explain but first I have to see about my cousin." He looked at Ginny.

"Ron took him outside." Ginny smirked when Harry asked. "He wasn't feeling well."

With a sigh Harry nodded and went out to find Ron grimly looking after the dry heaving Dudley.

"Hey, Ron." Harry said quietly.

"Hey." Ron replied almost as quietly. "Harry, what's going on? Mum told me not to contact you on Dumbledore's orders, but I haven't heard from you either. I don't know what to think, mate."

"I sent one letter to you and Hedwig came back to me with it unopened." Harry told him. He stepped closer. "Things have happened. I need to tell you about all of it."

"So tell me." Ron prompted.

"Inside." Harry said using a head motion to direct his friend. "I don't want to tell it more than once, if you don't mind. You alright, Dudley?"

Dudley's face was red and splotchy but his breathing was almost back to normal as he nodded. "Can we go back with the key thingy? This was murder on my stomach, Harry."

Feeling sympathetic, Harry nodded. "Sure. Mrs. Weasley will give us tea inside. It'll calm your stomach and I need to talk to Ron and his family."

Dudley nodded, following slowly.

They arrived at the table just as Molly was pouring the tea. She handed one directly to Harry and softly commanded him to talk.

After a deep breath, Harry explained the dementor attack and how he came to leave his aunt and uncle's house, leaving out Nagini's appearance in the neighborhood. "We spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron and went to Gringotts the next day where I found out a few interesting bits of information."

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ginny prompted looking worried.

"Well, it turns out, I've inherited quite a lot of money and property from my ancestors... on both sides of my family." He looked up and met Ron's eyes, worried because Ron was sensitive about his family's monetary situation.

The boy in question had tensed up but he still seemed to be listening.

"My mother was not a muggleborn as I'd been told." Harry went on. "She and my aunt were descendants of a squib named Edith. Edith's mother was a witch born of a union between Rowena Ravenclaw's son and Helga Hufflepuff's granddaughter."

Molly stared at Harry. "So you're the heir to three of Hogwarts' founders?"

Harry sighed and continued. "Not exactly."

"Now don't be silly, Harry." Molly said softly. "Everyone knows the Potter line is descended from Godric Gryffindor."

"Yes. They do." Harry confirmed with a nod. "But there's something not a lot of people know... some people only suspect it..." He paused to sip his tea. "Turns out, Godric Gryffindor had a relationship with Sabelina Slytherin - Salazar's daughter."

Molly chuckled lightly. "That's just rumors, Harry dear. It's not real."

"I'm afraid it is." Harry bit his lip. "It was confirmed by the goblin ancestry scrolls as well as a goblin prophecy."

"Don't forget Sigmund." Dudley pointed out.

"Right." Harry smirked at his cousin. "An ancient metal snake that welcomed us to Potter Grove corroborates the story as well."

Molly's face drained of color and she sat back in her chair. "But... so much responsibility and ...you're just a boy."

"Four founders." Ron whispered in awe. "One heir. Bloody Hell, Harry!"

"I know." Harry nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, there's more and it won't be easy to hear."

Arthur came home, then, and just as he closed the door, the floo activated allowing Fred and George to tumble in from wherever they'd been.